I have been meaning to write many articles this week. A thorough recap of the game this past Sunday against Baltimore, highlighting some of the pretty amazing things I see in our rookie quarterback, Trent Edwards. Another article breaking down the stats on how the Bills truly did shut down Willis McGahee on his first visit to his old stomping grounds—on his birthday no less. And, I have wanted to weigh in on the whole Bills-games-in-Toronto issue.

But I haven't. And, I won't.

(Quite) Unfortunately, I do not get paid to write about the Bills, and my work load at the moment seems insurmountable. Tack on the fact that we leave for California in less than 24 hours, and yeah... I'm feeling the pressure!

For that reason, here are a few quick thoughts on all of the above topics.

QB Trent Edwards
It is now official. Trent Edwards is the starting QB for the Buffalo Bills. Not just for this week. For good. Dick Jauron said, "Hopefully we won't have to make a change there," in his press conference yesterday. The Bills like what they see in Edwards, and for good reason.

Not only does Trent have a good arm, is very accurate, and can put some zip on the ball, he's also a very quick learner and very confident in the pocket. His abilities to handle the offensive schemes were showcased when the Bills ran the no-huddle offense for most of the game against Baltimore. The QB has to read the defense, and make the call from some pre-set plays in that situation. And he did a great job with it! His confidence and poise in the pocket are demonstrated by the number of sacks he has taken. Some of the credit goes to the offensive line, but much of it goes to Trent for knowing when to release the ball, and where to put it.

One of the more amazing things from Sunday's game was the FIVE offsides penalties Edwards was able to pull the Ravens into! It could have been six, but the call went against the Bills when Michael Gaines jumped at the same time as the Ravens defender. His cadence was excellent, keeping the Baltimore defense either moving backward by penalty, or at least a little hesitant to jump at the snap.

Add to his very good play for a rookie the fact that the team is now 2-1 when he starts (and could, almost should be 3-0, barring the miracle finish by Dallas) and you have a no-brainer decision. Edwards gives the team the best chance to win now, and most likely in the future.

Good decision by the Bills.

Willis Held In Check
When Willis came out on the Ravens' first drive of the second half and just started getting huge chunks of yards, I was definitely worried. I thought maybe he or the Ravens had figured out something, and it was going to be a long day. That was every Bills fan's worst nightmare... Willis running wild on us, leaving with the win.

But he didn't.

Really, the Bills did a great job stopping McGahee all day. An amazing job, actually. I knew what I saw, and what I saw was a great performance by the Bills defense, and a completely shut down performance by Willis. Well, almost completely.

So late that night I broke down the stats. I wanted to see if I had just imagined that we did shut him down. I did not.

On that one drive to open the third quarter, Willis had 4 carries for 72 yards, including the one TD run of 46 yards where the Bills only had ten guys on the field (but I don't think the eleventh would have mattered). Willis finished the day with 19 carries for 114 yards. Take away 46 and he has 18 for 68 yards. That's 3.7 yards/carry. Take away that drive (were the Bills still in the lockeroom or something?) and he has 14 carries for 42 yards! OUCH! That's 3 YPC.

More stats? The Bills held Willis to 1 yard on 2 receptions (and he also dropped one, that was thrown behind him). The Bills also held him to zero or negative yards on 4 carries. 9 of his remaining 15 carries were for 4 yards or less. Mostly less.

The Bills came into the game having done very well against the Jets runningbacks and the Cowboys runningbacks. They wanted to do the same against Baltimore, who are a run-oriented team. And, they wanted to shut down Willis.

They did.

The Move To Toronto
First of all, the Bills are not moving to Toronto. They are merely playing a game or two in Toronto—where many Bills fans reside. All of this speculation is definitely premature, and completely unnecessary. In my opinion, of course.

Here's what we know. The NFL decided that up to two regular season games per year would be played outside of the US through the 2011 season. Their hope is that each team would be able to participate in that. The Bills stated that they would like to be proactive in that experiment by suggesting that they play a game in very nearby Toronto, which is currently a major region that they draw from.

The Bills have played there before. In 1995 and 1997, the Bills played two preseason games in the Skydome. (They won both!) So they are no strangers to Toronto, and those games did not precipitate a move to Canada. They broaden the region that the Bills cover.

Seven years ago, the Bills made a similar move when they shifted their annual training camp to St. John Fisher College in Rochester. There are many Bills fans in the stadium on Sundays who make the drive from Rochester, and moving training camp to their city only made sense. It gave the Bills more of a presence in Rochester, and likely has won them some more fans.

That is precisely what the Bills are hoping would happen with a regular season game in Toronto each year.

This is not without NFL precedent, either. The Green Bay packers played several games a year in Madison, WI several years ago now. They are also a small-market, regional team, and wanted to have a more regional appeal. It worked just fine, as far as I know.

The Bills are not moving to Toronto. The NFL will not allow that. Ralph Wilson certainly won't. And I would say, as much as they are able, NY State will not allow it either. But one game in Toronto, even annually, makes a lot of sense for expanding the reach of this small-market team. Bring in more fans, more corporate luxury box buyers... and the Bills remain in Western New York.

The Bills will likely play a pre-season game in 2008 in Toronto. It remains to be seen what the NFL will decide as far as regular season games there. The Bills have crossed a few hurdles, getting approval on the first stages of this plan. Next is the NFL.

Seems like a great plan to me, and I hope they can make it happen. I'd love for them to play a game over here in Rochester, closer to where I live, but we don't have a facility like the Rogers Centre in Toronto.

So north of the border we go!

(But just for one game.) :-)

Labels: Bills History, Current Bills, Games, News, NFL, Players, Training Camp

Hey folks. Have a couple Bills videos for you here. Well, they are really slideshows. I uploaded them to YouTube (why not use their bandwidth instead of ours!) and have posted them here. One is from the Bills/Falcons pre-season game, the other is a selection of photos from our visits to Training Camp at SJFC in Rochester. Fun times had by all.

Enjoy!

Bills Training Camp 2007


Falcons @ Bills - Aug 17, 2007

Labels: Bills Fans, Current Bills, Pre-Season, Training Camp, Videos

Don't get me wrong. I have enjoyed each visit to training camp this season, as have my family. And friends. It's done fantastically, and it's a great, up-close football experience.

But it just seems silly.

I'm actually not talking about all the extra stuff. If you've ever been to Bills training camp at St. John Fisher College here in Rochester, you'll recall that it's quite a production. When you first arrive - by RTS bus, as there is no parking on campus - you are herded through a large, air-conditioned tent full of everything the Buffalo Bills Pro Shop sells. It's the mobile Bills store, conveniently placed at the entrance to the free training camp. Very good marketing. :-)

In addition to all the Bills gear, you get to stroll past maybe a dozen or so vendors/marketers who also have their booths set up to offer you their wares (or services) as you pass by. Once you do exit the tent, and head for the practice fields, there are still a few more vendors set up just outside the tent. Only four to six more perhaps. You're almost to the football part!

As you approach the main field, there are also a few food vendors on the right, however. :-)

Again, I actually really like all of this. It makes it feel fun. Big. Exciting. This Tuesday, Turkey Hill Dairy was represented there, and they were giving out FREE, decent-sized samples of their Buffalo Bills Stampede Sundae ice cream! That was awesome!! :-)

When you finally do get to the football - if you have kids with you - you will notice that there is a large "interactive area" set up just past the playing fields. It's chock full of inflated bouncy things, and more chock full of children. They can push through the Bills-colored inflatable obstacle courses, or toss footballs through big inflated football players hands, or even play basketball? (That one is sort of out of place...) :-) It's tons of fun, and well used by visitors ages 12 and under. (Including most of the Campbells!)

But again... this article is not about all of the extras that make Bills training camp one of the best free events you can be part of, and probably one of the best NFL training camps, at least for the fans.

Now, for the players - or, as a strictly football fan - each visit to training camp this year has just made me wonder, "What is the point?" Is it only for the marketing aspect? I mean, it certainly does that well. Bills fans come out in droves for this carnival experience where they get to be very up-close and personal with their favorite football team (the guys are literally only a few yards away from where you can sit or stand, and there are many opportunities to get autographs, photographs, or even chat briefly with the players.) and all of this is free. (Basically free. A $1 donation for folks over the age of 12 gets you free public transportation to and fro.)

But the practices almost seem silly.

First, the players are often not in pads. They are just "going through the motions". Motions are good. They are necessary. The players need to know how the plays unfold. They need to know where they should be. But do they really? If they are not actually in pads, they're not going full speed. And if they come close, they don't finish the plays. It's not the real deal. I'm know there's a place for that speed of practice, but it dominates training camp, and rightfully so. You don't want to go full speed against your own team. You want to save that for another team.

Which is precisely my point. Even when they are running at full speed, they don't finish the plays. The defense gets in position to make the tackle, but never gets to make it. The offense is running plays that the defense already knows. The defensive linemen never get to hit the QB.

(Funny story... there's a guy whom I do not think is a coach, but has been an on-field assistant for as many camps as I can remember. He's not big at all. He's a relatively small guy. But he's obviously tough. They put him in as the "QB" taking the snaps on a DL drill. Well, I guess he was trash talking, trying to get the linemen fired up. It worked. A couple of times these nearly 300-pound guys pancaked this tiny sub-200-pound guy. And he'd just get up and taunt them some more! I talked to him afterward and he said he kept asking them, "Where was that on Friday??" Crazy man.) :-)

What I suggested on our show was that instead of 5 or 6 weeks of training camp, cut it down to a maximum of three weeks. And, instead of four or even five meaningless pre-season games, cut that down to two (or a maximum of three, with those bonus games like the Hall of Fame game) and add two games to the regular season. Make the games count. Make it worth getting out there and risking injury. But even better, make it worth playing. Make it real football.

Interestingly, I am not alone in these thoughts. A reporter (not sure who) asked Jauron in a press conference this week what he thought about just that idea. Shortening training camp and pre-season, and making two of the pre-season game regular season games. Jauron hesitated and said, "You know what I'm going to say, right? (Another pause.) Talk to the league office." There was laughter, and when asked if he had an opinion, he said he did, but he was not going to share it.

Apparently, coach would like to see less meaningless football as well.

It only makes sense. How can you really practice if you're not really playing football?? But why would you play real football - against your own team for six weeks?? Of course you wouldn't. It makes sense to take it easy "until it counts". Well, MAKE IT COUNT.

And, let's not forget that we fans are shelling out the same amount of dollars to see this so-called football. Pre-season games are a step up from training camp practices, obviously, but they still carry that feeling of "meaninglessness". The "real" players don't play much - if at all, LT - and the goal of the game is almost never to win, unless it comes down to a two-minute drill situation at the end. Then they're still not trying to win, they're just practicing their two-minute drill. (I do have to admit, that is when is starts to be real football, as there is an actual goal in sight, even if the end result is "meaningless".)

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Camp is fun. Keep it. It's a great experience for the fans, and I'd have to imagine that a lot of good comes from it for the players and coaches. But you can probably get a lot more out of playing actual football. I would even keep the roster cut-down dates the way they are. Play two regular season games with maybe 70 players. See how the guys who are really right on the fringe do in a game that matters. You've seen all of the guys the entire off season in mini camps and other team activities. You know what they can do. If you as a coach don't want to put them in when the game really counts... then why would you keep them on the team, anyway?

It does sound a little crazy, but those were some of my main thoughts as I sat there watching pseudo-football at training camp this past week, and on our visit three weeks ago. Remember, it was totally enjoyable, and we're heading back for the Monday night practice - and I can't wait. But it seems like our team would be better served if they weren't in this "practice" mode for so long. If they're going to practice, shouldn't they actually be doing what they are practicing?

My vote is to make the practice more real by making the meaningless part shorter. And though he can't say it, it sounded like Coach Jauron is with me.

How about it, NFL?

Labels: Bills Fans, NFL, Pre-Season, Training Camp

The Buffalo Bills website has featured a 20-day countdown to Bills Training Camp with the top 20 questions facing the Bills as they prepare for the 2007 season. As always, the articles have been fantastic. I thought it would be of interest to you as a listener of the Buffalo Bills Review to have the complete list (with links) available here in one place! So, click below to read and prepare for the 2007 Buffalo Bills season!!! Training camps starts JULY 26th!!! WHOOOHOOO!!!!

Go BILLS!

#1: Will The Bills Make The Playoffs?
#2: Will J.P. Losman Become An Elite Quarterback?
#3: Will The Run Defense Be Better?
#4: Who Will Make The Greatest Impact As A Rookie?
#5: Will Peters Make The Pro Bowl?
#6: Who Will Be The Right Cornerback?
#7: Who Will Pull Attention Off Of Lee Evans?
#8: Will The Pass Protection Be Better?
#9: Will There Be A Featured Running Back?
#10: Who Are The Training Camp Sleepers?
#11: Who Will Start At H-Back?
#12: Can Moorman Net 40?
#13: Who Starts At Middle Linebacker?
#14: Will Special Teams Reclaim NFL Top Spot?
#15: How Much Will Whitner & Simpson Improve?
#16: Who Will Start At Right Guard?
#17: Who Leads On Defense?
#18: Will Kevin Everett Contribute More?
#19: Who Will Be The Backup Quarterback?
#20: Can McGee Be An Anchor In The Secondary?

Labels: BuffaloBills.com, Current Bills, Training Camp

[The following is from Chris Brown's blog at BuffaloBills.com]

IMPORTANT CAMP DATES:

• On Aug. 4 it's Junior Bills Backers day for the youngsters where a special day is planned for the kids at camp. So sign your kids up at Buffalobills.com.
  
  
• On Aug. 7 it's Alumni day where a lot of Bills alumni are expected to be in, so if you can make it out that day have your autograph books and cameras at the ready.
  
  
• On Aug. 13 Jim Kelly and J.P. Losman will be at camp to promote the Enlyten SportStrips product.
  
  
• On Aug. 14 it's the Turkey Hill ice cream sampling day.
  
  
• On Aug. 15 there will be a Jet Blue on field promotion and a Tim Horton's Iced Coffee giveaway.

Labels: Current Bills, Schedule, Training Camp